Tell Me Why
by Sunset Clouds
Summary: Joe wanted to know why he kept getting jealous with all of Stella's new guys. JoeStella.
1. Chapter 1

_**Ok, another JoeStella, especially after watching the latest episode. Because, come on, you know Joe should have told everyone the truth that he was so jealous! So this takes directly after the episode ends, but this will be in Joe's POV, well, sort of.**_

_**I was listening to He Could Be The One by Hannah Montana and me and Fabled Diamond both thought it could fit their relationship well. We all know they're meant to be anyways. Just get them together writers, and before season 2 starts please! And maybe get KevinMacy together as well!**_

_**Ok, this paragraph note is after I written this. Apparently, it didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. **_

Joe wanted to know why he felt the way he did around Stella lately. It was weird. It was making him feel all crazy around her. When did it start? Stella and Joe had always been close friends, closer than Nick and Kevin were to Stella anyways. He started noticing his feelings for her probably around when Carl came over to visit a few weeks ago. Stella had asked if he had a crush on her, since he dumped that stuff in Stella's purse all those years ago. He didn't answer, since he had to go perform, but could it be? Did he have a crush on her? Had he always liked her?

He didn't know. But what set everything off was _him. _Van Dyke. What kind of name was Van Dyke anyways? He was a loser anyways. Who wears day of the week underwear on the wrong days? Losers, that's who, AND he totally wore that outfit that Joe wore for the Queen because Stella was getting her revenge. It was not even a good outfit, and Joe deserved what came to him.

But Joe just wanted to know why he was getting all nervous around Stella lately. Joe wanted to know why he was all jealous of Van Dyke dating Stella; why he wanted her to help him study for math instead of going out with Van Dyke; why he wanted to ruin the shirts.

That song he thought he was singing after Stella ditched him for that other guy pretty much described how he felt. 'Tell me why does it hurt so bad' one of the lines popped into his mind.

Currently, Joe was sitting at lunch at the table with Nick, waiting for everyone to arrive. He picked at his food. He just wanted someone to tell him why he was jealous of Van Dyke and Stella. Nick would probably tell him something like 'you like Stella'. Psst, like that could happen. They had been friends for eleven years.

Joe, without quite realizing it, started singing the song he daydreamt about softly. Nick looked over at Joe.

"What are you humming?" Nick asked, breaking Joe out of his thoughts. He looked at Nick.

"Um, oh nothing. Just a new song, maybe," Joe said. Nick nodded.

"Oh that's cool. What are the lyrics so far?" Nick asked. Joe didn't want to answer. The song was personal, and for once, he wanted it to remain just his song. Luckily, before he could answer, Kevin sidled into a chair beside Joe.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" he asked.

"Oh, just eating lunch and Joe thought of a new song," Nick answered. Joe mentally groaned as he took a bite of his lunch, even if he wasn't hungry.

"Oh cool. Sing it for us," Kevin said. Joe shook his head, managing a grin.

"Oh you don't want to hear it yet. It's not done," Joe started as he spotted Stella walking over. His voice almost caught. Luckily, Nick and Kevin didn't catch the change in Joe.

"Oh come on Joe; just sing what you have. I'm sure it's good. It could be our next hit," Nick pointed out.

"Oh, I couldn't. I mean, I'm not prepared," Joe said as Stella sat beside Joe.

"You couldn't what?" Stella asked.

"Oh, Joe has a new song that he's written and he won't sing it for us. Come on, you're usually not prepared. Just sing it for us," Nick said. Kevin nodded.

"Yeah, I could get my guitarist to come bring my guitar for you," Kevin said. He gestured and the lights dimmed and a guy carrying Kevin's guitar showed up, handing the guitar to him. Joe shook his head.

"Turn on the lights and take the guitar away. I just don't want to sing it right now," Joe said stubbornly. The lights turned on and the guitarist walked away with the guitar sadly.

"Oh come on! You always sing for us! What's the big deal?" Kevin asked. Joe shrugged.

"I'll sing it later. Now, Stella, where's Van Dyke?" Joe asked, trying to keep the venom from dripping out of his voice.

"Oh, I dumped him. Whoever wears that outfit in public does not deserve me at all," Stella said. Joe tried to keep a grin off his face, but he couldn't help it.

"Oh, that's cool," Joe said as casually as he could as Macy bounded up.

"Stella, oh my god, I have news for you- HI GUYS!" Macy said excitedly. Kevin offered a wave at his new friend as Nick and Joe gave feeble smiles.

"Hey Macy. What's up?" Stella asked. Macy gestured down the hall.

"Ok, you know the guy on my swim team, Quincy?" Macy asked. Stella nodded as Joe gave a look at Kevin as if to ask 'Quincy? What kind of name is that?'

"Yeah, that really cute guy. What about him?" Stella asked. Macy grinned.

"He thinks you're hot and wants to ask you out!" Macy shrieked. Joe's eyes widened as Kevin and Nick glanced at Stella, who got up and jumped with excitement along with Macy. Joe gripped his milk carton so tightly, milk started spurting everywhere, especially onto the person beside him; Kevin. Everyone looked at the mess as Kevin jolted up.

"Oh come on Joe! Stella made these pants two days ago!" Kevin complained, trying to wipe off the milk with a napkin.

"Oh no, a napkin won't do. Come on; Macy can help you out; she knows what to do," Stella said, pushing the two away. Macy grinned as she linked arms with Kevin and led him down the hall. Stella and Nick, meanwhile, looked at Joe, who smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry; I have a tight grip," Joe told the two. Stella rolled her eyes but grinned when she saw Quincy walk down the hall.

"Oh my god, there's Quincy. Do I look good?" Stella asked frantically as she whipped out a mirror and checked herself.

"You look fine Stella," Nick said. Stella and Nick both looked toward Joe, who was trying to find the words to say. He could compliment her, or he could lie and say she looked awful so she wouldn't go speak to Quincy. Unfortunately, his mouth chose the former.

"You look great Stells. Now, go get him," Joe said, wincing at the words he just said. He promised he'd stay out of her personal life, even if that wasn't what he wanted. Stella smiled sweetly.

"Thanks Joe," she said gratefully before walking over to Quincy. Nick eyed Joe carefully. Joe caught Nick's gaze and offered a feeble smile.

"What?" Joe asked. Nick shrugged.

"Nothing, I just didn't think you'd actually say that. I mean, you're totally jealous right now and I thought you'd try to ruin her relationship again," Nick answered. Joe shook his head.

"First of all, I am not jealous, alright? I'm just protective of the guys Stella chooses, because she chooses really bad guys. And secondly, I wouldn't ruin her relationship with a guy on purpose. Besides, we both promised to stay out of each other's personal lives, especially with dating, so I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to, which I don't," Joe answered. Nick just smiled, shaking his head.

"Ok, whatever you say Jealous McJealouston," Nick sing songed. Joe glared.

"I am NOT jealous!" Joe said to Nick, who just chuckled. Joe got up, grabbing his practically untouched food.

"Where are you going Jealous?" Nick asked.

"I'm not very hungry right now. I'll see you later," Joe answered before slipping away from Nick, who only just realized he didn't get a chance to ask Joe about his new song.

_**Ok, I'm going to add more to this. At first, it was just supposed to be a oneshot about Joe realizing his feelings, but then, somehow, it turned out to Stella falling in love with another guy and Joe getting jealous again. But he's going to act completely different this time. I don't know how many chapters this will be, but I hope you enjoyed this. Now, if you have any ideas of how this can turn out, tell me. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well, here's part two. Thank you to onewomanshow for giving me an idea. It's definitely a consideration. **_

_**I only own Quincy at the moment. Just imagine him as a guy that's cute, but not hot. And also, I added a lot of Mrs. Lucas in here because she's only been in like, two or three episodes, and I think she deserves more credit than she has already. **_

Later that afternoon, Nick, Joe and Kevin arrived home from school. Mrs. Lucas was there, preparing dinner.

"Hey boys, how was school?" Mrs. Lucas asked. A chorus of 'Good' echoed through the room. Mrs. Lucas smiled.

"Well, we'll be upstairs. Call us when dinner is ready," Nick said as he bounded toward the stairs. Kevin followed, as Joe paused, hanging back.

"Joseph, is something wrong?" Mrs. Lucas asked as she saw her second oldest son standing in the living room. Joe bit his lip. His mom could help him, he thought as finally, he shook his head.

"Actually, I'm not. Can I talk to you about something?" Joe asked. Mrs. Lucas nodded as she quickly checked on the food in the kitchen before sitting with her son in the living room.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Joe fidgeted with his hands, trying to figure out how to approach the subject. Finally, he stopped beating around the bush and just spoke.

"Well, lately, I have been feeling…jealous of Stella's crushes and I don't know why. Nick and Kevin say it's because I'm jealous and in denial, but I'm not. I mean, I can't be. It's Stella, the girl I've known for eleven years, probably longer," Joe told his mom. Sighing, he buried his face in his hands. Mrs. Lucas sighed as she moved closer to her son, rubbing his back tenderly. This is one of the things she loved about Joe; he was the only Lucas to come to her for advice. Nick usually went to Mr. Lucas, and Kevin preferred to figure it out himself, and if he couldn't, he'd go to the oldest in the house, her husband. Frankie pretty much clung to his father for things, just because he was the manager of the band and Frankie thought he knew a lot. They only came to her rarely for advice, but she knew they loved her. Joe, however, barely went to his father for advice; he trusted his mother more, and that made her feel great inside.

"Oh Joseph, I understand your predicament. I'm sorry to say, but Nicholas and Kevin are right; you have feelings for Stella," Mrs. Lucas said softly. Joe lifted his head, shaking it.

"No, I do not. I can't. How is it possible? It's Stella. We're best friends, that's all we've ever been. We played together as little kids. We used to tease Carl together. We grew up together, and went through stuff together. She's the one I went to when our band was just getting off the ground and I needed a friend because I was scared. I'm the one she came- comes to when she's upset about something. She helps me look good; I help her laugh about silly stuff. She's my best friend; she's like the sister I've always wanted," Joe said. Mrs. Lucas sighed.

"Joseph, did I ever tell you about my childhood friend, Adam?" Mrs. Lucas asked. When Joe shook his head, Mrs. Lucas continued. "Well, we were friends since kindergarten. We did everything together; we were exactly like you and Stella. One day, in high school, I realized how much had changed between us. We were so close, people practically thought we were dating. That's when Adam realized he liked me a lot. I liked him too, but I was too afraid to admit it. I didn't want things to change. So, when he told me this, I broke his heart to keep our friendship in tact. After that, it wasn't the same between us," Mrs. Lucas explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Joe asked.

"The point is, I denied my feelings and it cost our friendship. Joseph, you like this girl, and I guarantee you that she likes you too. I've seen you two together, and that is not just friendship. It's changed. You're scared, I know you are. But don't make the same mistake me and Adam did. If I had told him I liked him a lot-" Mrs. Lucas started.

"He could be our dad?" Joe asked jokingly. Mrs. Lucas laughed.

"Probably not, but we could have had a relationship for a while. He wasn't my soulmate, or else things would have worked out between us. Stella, however, could very well be your soulmate. Once you're ready Joseph, tell her. Don't mess it up," Mrs. Lucas said. Joe sighed as he looked down, knowing his mom was right.

"What if she doesn't like me back?" Joe asked softly.

"If she doesn't, which I'm sure she does, then at least you told her. I mean, though I wish things went differently in my past, I'm glad Adam told me. We didn't have to live with the burden anymore," Mrs. Lucas said as she hugged Joe.

"Thanks Mom, that's good advice," Joe said gratefully as he hugged his mom back. Finally she let go of him when she heard Kevin's voice getting closer as footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"Hey Joe, where are you? You have to play us that song you told us about at lu-"Kevin started before he made it downstairs and saw Joe and Mrs. Lucas looking at him.

"You wrote a song?" Mrs. Lucas asked softly. Joe gave her a look; he wasn't about to say that it was about Stella and have Kevin figure out his crush on her. Mrs. Lucas understood and nodded. Joe stood up.

"Thanks Mom, on the homework thing. I think I understand now," Joe said, winking before following Kevin upstairs.

"Ok, you're welcome!" Mrs. Lucas called before shaking her head, walking back to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Joe and Kevin made it upstairs to find Nick throwing a ball in the air.

"Don't worry Nick; Joe was talking about homework with Mom," Kevin said as he sat beside Nick, and Joe kept standing.

"Oh, ok. Well, Joe, sing us the song you told us about. I'm dying to hear about it, not literally," Nick quickly added as Kevin opened his mouth to speak. Kevin closed it, sighing.

"Oh, I don't know," Joe said. Nick's eyebrows rose.

"What's wrong Joe? Got something to hide?" Nick asked. Kevin nodded in agreement as Joe sighed, knowing he couldn't back out now.

"Fine," Joe caved. Nick grinned as Kevin pulled a random bucket of popcorn from behind the couch and waited. Joe took a deep breath and opened his mouth when, lucky for him, his phone rang. He grinned as he grabbed it from his pocket.

"Hello?" Joe asked.

"_Hey Joe, it's Stella," _Stella's voice came through the receiver. Joe's mouth curved up into a genuine smile.

"Oh hey Stella. What's up? We still on for movie night?" Joe asked. Stella sighed from her line.

"_Well, here's the thing Joe. Tonight, Quincy and I are kind of studying together," _Stella answered. Joe's smile dropped, but he kept his voice calm, as he saw Kevin and Nick eye each other.

"Oh, well that's fine. It's only Monday anyways. How about tomorrow?" Joe asked.

"_Quincy's taking me bowling," _Stella answered. Joe frowned.

"Wednesday?" he asked.

"_Roller skating," _she answered.

"Thursday?" Joe asked.

"_More studying. And Friday, we're going to a movie, but so far, Saturday I'm free. We'll have our movie night then, alright?" _Stella asked. Joe rolled his eyes.

"Of course Stella, as long as we're not a bother to you and your new boyfriend. I mean, I wouldn't want to take you away from Quincy on Saturday," Joe said sarcastically. Stella sighed.

"_I'm sorry Joe. But Quincy, he's different," _Stella said. Joe tried to shut up, but he couldn't resist.

"Different? I'm sure he is," Joe said, giving a fake laugh. He was pretty sure Stella was shooting daggers at him from her end of the phone.

"_Listen, I'm sorry, alright? I'll see you at school tomorrow," _Stella answered. Joe sighed.

"Fine. Have fun with Queercy," Joe said sarcastically. Before Stella could say anything, however, he hung up the phone and threw it at the wall for effect. It broke and clattered to the ground as Kevin and Nick stared with shock. Joe let out a little groan as he sat down on the chair, gripping his head.

"Ok, if that didn't point to jealousy, I don't know what would," Kevin spoke up. Joe looked up, glaring at him.

"I am not jealous, alright? I am just frustrated that Stella keeps canceling our plans like this. This is so unlike her. Some guy comes along, and she falls head over heels with him. First with Van Dyke, and now with Chest-Shaving Quincy? Everyone calls him that you know, because he swims," Joe said. Nick looked confused.

"Nobody calls Quincy that, except for you. You're jealous, my friend," Nick said. Joe clenched his hands. He knew that; he didn't want them to rub it in his face.

"Can we just change the subject?" Joe asked. Kevin nodded.

"Yeah, sure. How about that new song?" Kevin asked. Joe gave him a look.

"Are you serious? Are you going to stop asking me about the song?" Joe asked. Nick shook his head.

"It could be our new hit song, so no, we aren't. Let's here it," Nick said. Joe shook his head, his confidence gone. All he wanted to do was crawl away and die; or better yet, go to Quincy's house and 'kindly convince' him to not go out with Stella.

"Guys, just give me another day to finish the song, alright? Then I'll sing it for you guys when it's done," Joe compromised. Nick thought.

"Fine, you have one day. Then we want to hear what you have. We can help you finish it," Nick suggested. Joe shook his head.

"No, this time, I want to finish it alone," Joe said. Kevin grinned as he nodded just as Kevin's phone rang. Kevin scrambled to find it, finally seeing it near his guitars. Kevin grabbed it and answered the phone.

"Hello? Oh hey! No, I'm not busy, " Kevin said as he walked downstairs to talk to somebody in private. Nick eyed Joe.

"Who do you think it is?" he asked. Joe shrugged.

"No clue, a secret girlfriend?" Joe suggested. Nick scoffed.

"Like Kevin can keep a secret," Nick said. Joe nodded quickly.

"True," he said as the two walked off to do different things.

_**Ok, I'm ending it there, mostly because I don't want to ramble on about Joe's feelings. Next chapter will be most likely a couple of days later, when Joe gets sick of seeing Quincy and Stella together, and also managing to avoid Nick and Kevin about his song. Unfortunately, he can't avoid them next chapter, even with the song still incomplete. So, the next part will be out soon. I just have to get this up soon because my dad plans to unplug this computer, to take it to Florida, to our second home, and my parents' retirement home that they bought, even though retirement for them is still a while away. **_

_**I live in Canada, BTW, so that's why they want a house in Florida. So, yeah, I hope you like it! I also have my Nick/Macy oneshot coming out shortly tonight! **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Ok, here's the next part for you guys; because I just can't stop writing! By the way, this is going to be a very sad chapter. You will be mad at me, most likely. You have been warned!**_

It was Thursday, and Joe was absolutely sick of Quincy and Stella already. Wherever one was, the other was as well. The more he saw the two act like lovebirds, the more jealous Joe got. His mom was right; he liked Stella a lot. The problem for him was that he couldn't even tell anyone how he felt; they would just say 'I told you so', especially his brothers. Speaking of his brothers, he was lucky enough to avoid them about the song. Tuesday, Nick was out all night, studying at Penny's house, and Wednesday, Joe decided to go rollerblading (mostly just to keep an eye on Stella. He was lucky not to have gotten caught).

But he knew he couldn't run forever. Joe just couldn't finish the song; for now, it was finished. He couldn't find the heart to finish it. He pretty much already figured out why he felt the way he did, but he still tried to ignore it all. But Quincy was making it very difficult for him.

Joe sighed as he grabbed his lunch from his locker and walked over to their usual table, where *cue gagging here* Stella and Quincy were. Time to fake it, Joe thought as he plastered a smile on his face and walked to the table. He had, fortunately, gotten better at faking happy. He promised he would stay out of her personal life and being jealous certainly counted for not staying out. Joe really believed that everyone believed his act. He was definitely a better actor than he thought.

"Hey guys," Joe said cheerily. Stella turned to Joe, smiling.

"Hey Joe," she said as Quincy waved. Joe faked a wave before opening his lunch, sighing as he brought out his milk carton. He certainly loved milk. It was very healthy and delicious. Joe grinned as he opened it up, and then took a bite out of his sandwich. He watched, trying to keep calm as Quincy took Stella's hands. He tried not to throw up when Quincy whispered something in Stella's ear that made her giggle. But as soon as he saw Quincy leaning toward Stella's lips, well, he had to intervene in some way. So, he tipped his milk 'by accident' and watched as it made its way down the table, onto Quincy.

Bulls eye, Joe thought as Quincy jumped up, as did Stella.

"Eww, gross!" Quincy yelled. Joe faked sympathy as he got up.

"I am so sorry Quincy. I am a klutz. Let me help you," Joe said as he grabbed a napkin, accidentally dropping it into the milk puddle and then wiping then napkins on Quincy. Quincy moved away from Joe, shrieking a little bit.

"I can do it myself, thank you," Quincy snapped. Stella glared at Joe.

"I think you've done enough Joseph. Come on Quince, let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned off," Stella said as she took his hand.

"But girls aren't allowed in boy's bathroom sweetie," Quincy said flirtatiously.

"Who said anything about me going in the BOY'S bathroom," Stella asked as the two smiled at each other. Joe watched the two walk down the hall, jealousy coursing his veins. He felt a sharp pang in his chest; so sharp, he had to sit down in his chair. Joe didn't even know why he felt this jealous. It was more than jealousy now; it was something else.

Nick walked by with his lunch to find Joe with his head on the table.

"What happened here?" Nick asked as he sat beside Joe, away from the sticky mess.

"I accidentally spilled my milk," Joe answered, avoiding the part that it went onto Quincy. Nick nodded.

"Ok, so you have been avoiding that new song. You know how much I want to hear it. Please sing it now," Nick begged. Joe thought, shrugging.

"I really don't know," Joe said.

"You promised Joe; a promise is a promise. You can't turn your back on a promise," Nick reminded Joe. Joe groaned as he pushed aside his lunch.

"Fine, I'll sing it. Are you happy?" Joe asked. Nick nodded, sitting back in his chair.

"Very. Now, wait here, I'm going to find Kevin, and then you'll sing," Nick said before standing up and leaving Joe alone. Unfortunately for him, Kevin wasn't far. Nick, a minute later, came back with Kevin and Macy.

"I found them talking around the corner. Ok, sing," Nick instructed. Joe gulped as he stood up. He was very unsure about this now. Seeing Stella walking back down the hall with Quincy didn't help much either.

"I, uh, think I would prefer music and not sing acapella," Joe said uneasily. Nick shook his head. Kevin and Macy started chanting, "Sing, sing, sing" and soon a crowd formed and started chanting it as well. Stella was chanting it with Quincy as well, so Joe gave in.

"Fine. It's not finished yet, and it's short," he said. Joe took a deep breath as everyone cheered and then quieted.

"Tried to turn on my TV to get you out of my head," Joe started off softly, but yet, everyone could hear him. Nick motioned for him to sing louder.

_Feeling something deep inside that I just won't admit  
It's not like I don't wanna commit (wanna commit)  
I just don't now why I can't stop feeling like this_

_Tell me Why? Why? Why?  
Does it hurt so bad  
Tell me Why? Why? Why?  
Does it make me mad__  
__Tell me Why?  
Tell me Why?_

Joe's voice rose a little bit with every note. As he sang, he felt the pain and sadness rushing back, and he sang the song like he did in his day dream. Everyone listened, no words spoken. Joe felt himself get lost in the words as, in his mind, he saw Stella with Van Dyke and Quincy.

_Now I can see the storm's not gonna clear (not gonna clear)  
Dressed in my pain and all of my tears  
Tell me Why? Why? Why?  
Does it hurt so bad (why does it hurt so so bad)  
Tell me Why? Why? Why?  
Does it make me mad_

Joe finished the song as he looked down, realizing his hands were shaking. He caught, out of the corner of his eyes, Quincy wrapping his arms around Stella, and she didn't push him away. Everyone started clapping, and Nick grinned.

"That was great Joe," Nick said, not realizing Joe's feelings at the moment. He hated seeing Stella with Quincy. Watching them act all coupley made Joe realize he may never get the chance with Stella; she didn't deserve him anyways.

"Awesome job Joe! Awesome song!" Kevin said as Macy nodded as well.

"You are an awesome singer Joe!" she gushed as she shared a look with Kevin. Joe nodded numbly as he watched Quincy whisper something into Stella's ear. She smiled up at him. Joe didn't know why he felt so strongly about Stella; his heart was breaking now just watching her all happy with Quincy.

Nick and Kevin kept talking to Joe, but he wasn't listening as he watched Quincy place a kiss on Stella's lips. It was official now; Stella was never going to be his. Joe felt his heart shatter as Stella kissed him back. She really loved Quincy; not Joe.

Joe looked down as he pushed away the oncoming tears. Now was not the time. He started to feel sorry for everything he did to her that made her mad, or sad. He wanted her happy though; and she was happy with Quincy.

'If you love her, you'll let her go' the famous quote popped into his mind. He let her go, and he didn't think it would hurt so much.

"Are you ok Joe?" Nick's voice traveled to his ears. Joe focused as he looked up at the concerned faces of Macy, Kevin and Nick. Without a word, Joe pushed through the crowd, past the shocked Stella and Quincy. Once he was far enough, Joe began to run, letting his emotions run free as he ran out of the school. He couldn't be there anymore; he had to go somewhere else.

**_I told you, you were warned. I don't know why that I made Joe very sad and stuff. Don't worry; the next chapter will be Stella and Quincy fighting, and Stella going to find Joe to talk to him. Then there's one more chapter after that!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_And the next part! Thanks for reading my story guys! This chapter definately didn't turn out the way that I originally thought of. In fact, it went in the opposite direction, especially with Quincy. You'll read why._**

Stella broke away from Quincy to see Joe pushing through the crowd. When Joe pushed past her, she noticed the look on his face. It was a mixture of sadness, despair and hopelessness. Stella never saw Joe like this. He was so upset about something. The song he sang was beautiful. Now that she thought about it, the lyrics really made the song beautiful.

Was Joe really jealous? Nick and Kevin were right, Stella started to realize. Joe was...jealous. Joe Lucas, apart of one of the biggest bands in the world, the one everyone loved, her childhood friend, was jealous! But why? Did he...have a crush on her? Stella got reminded of a few weeks ago, when Carl was there. She asked him if he had a crush on her. He didn't answer. Whatever the reason for this was, she had to talk to Joe. They were friends; Stella was concerned about him.

She broke free of Quincy's grasp.

"Where are you going?" Quincy asked as the crowd started dispersing.

"I have to go find Joe and talk to him," Stella answered as she started walking down the hall before Quincy stopped her.

"Oh, come on Stella; I'm sure Joe just needs some time," Quincy said softly. Stella shook her head.

"I'm his friend; I need to see if he's ok," Stella said stubbornly as she walked down the hall. Quincy scoffed.

"He's not just your friend," Quincy called, making Stella stop and turn to him.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked him. Quincy rolled his eyes as he walked toward Stella.

"You guys aren't friends; you'll never be just friends. Oh come on, he ran off because he saw that I was freaking kissing you! You know he was watching you the whole time," Quincy argued. Stella looked at him.

"You mean, you just went out with me to make Joe jealous?" Stella asked dangerously. Quincy nodded.

"I saw the way he acted with Van Dyke. I had to prove a point and make him gain the courage to tell you. It's not that I don't like you, I do; but just not exactly in the romance type way," Quincy answered. Stella just laughed bitterly.

"You're an idiot, you know that, right? Joe doesn't like me in that way," Stella said. There was a pause in the conversation.

"But you like him in that way, don't you? You never denied it," Quincy pointed out. Stella shook her blonde hair.

"I do not like Joe in that way," Stella said boldly. Quincy grinned as he moved closer to her.

"Ok, now say that like you mean it," Quincy told her. Stella opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a squeak. She couldn't do it; she really couldn't do it. She liked Joe Lucas. She just couldn't believe it. Could it really be true?

"I like Joe," she said aloud, in fascination. Quincy smiled, proud he got through to her.

"Good. Now, go after him Stella Malone," he told her. Stella smiled as she attacked Quincy with a hug. He hugged her back for several moments before pushing her away.

"Go," he said. Stella nodded as she rushed out of the school, thinking of where Joe would go. She knew he wouldn't go home; if he was that upset, he'd go somewhere no one would ever look for him; somewhere he felt safe and that he knew about. Possibly somewhere where he used to go as a child...

Stella's eyes widened as she knew exactly where Joe was. Praying she was right, she took off running.

* * *

She made it to the park about half an hour later and immediately walked through the park, to Joe's favourite tree: a tall willow tree on the quietest side of the park. He and Stella used to go there as children until Joe became a rockstar and had no time. She finally spotted the tree and she immediately started running toward it, calling Joe's name. She reached the tall tree, still as beautiful and peaceful as ever, and she looked up to see Joe on one of the branches looking down at her. Once he spotted her, he looked up. Stella sighed as she slipped off her high heels.

"Joe, please come down," Stella begged. She knew Joe wouldn't, so she started climbing up. Unfortunately, she hadn't done it in years, so she was still a little uneasy. She gripped onto the branches as she climbed, trying to make sure none of her clothes got caught. She made it to Joe, and she sat on one of the branches near to him. He was facing the other way, so she couldn't see his face.

"Hey Joe," she said softly. Joe mumbled something incoherent. Stella sighed as she leaned over and gently touched his arm. Startled, he turned to face her and Stella immediately saw that he was crying. She moved as close as she could to him, even if he shrank back.

"What are you doing here Stella? Shouldn't you be with your boyfriend?" Joe asked her. Stella shook her head.

"No; we're not together anymore. What's up with you?" Stella asked casually. Joe finally turned fully toward her. His eyebrows were raised.

"Wait, back up. Why aren't you together?" Joe asked. Stella shrugged.

"It isn't important at the moment. Seriously Joe, why did you run off like that?" Stella asked. Joe remained silent as he picked off a leaf from the tree. He twirled it in his hands. He stayed silent, and Stella was about to poke him, before he mumbled something under his breath.

"What did you say Joe?" Stella asked. Joe sighed.

"I was jealous of you and Quincy," Joe admitted. Stella frowned.

"Why Joe? Why were you jealous?" Stella asked. She could she him seriously contemplating something. It took him several minutes to speak. He gazed around, as Stella let himself think. She looked out, through the willow tree, and could see a few people scattered about.

"Because I like you," he said softly. Because it was so quiet, though, Stella heard him. Her eyes didn't widen, she didn't gape in surprise. Deep down, she knew that he liked her. So instead, she nodded.

"That's why you didn't answer me when I asked if you had a crush on me. That's why you had that fashion emergency. It explains a lot," Stella spoke. Joe glanced at her.

"Why are you so calm? Did you know I had a crush on you?" Joe asked, surprised. Stella shook her head.

"Not at first, no, but I had my suspicions," Stella answered. Joe sighed as he looked down.

"I guess our friendship's over," Joe guessed sadly. Stella nodded.

"Well, yeah, sort of," Stella said. Joe nodded in understandment. Stella touched his arm lightly as he looked up.

"We're still friends, but I want us to be more," Stella told him. Joe gaped.

"What? Really?" he asked. Stella nodded as she moved as close to him as she could.

"I like you too Joe, and it took me a while to realize it myself. Quincy was actually dating me to get us to figure that out," Stella said. Joe smiled as he carefully got down from the branch and sat beside Stella.

"Well, thank you Quincy," Joe joked. Before Stella could say anything else, though, Joe leaned toward her and kissed her fully on the lips. Surprised at the suddenness, it took Stella a few seconds to kiss back. But the kiss got more intense and longer. They would have kissed longer, but Stella and Joe almost lost their balance on the branch.

"We should probably get down now," Stella said, laughing. Joe nodded as the two began climbing down.

**_Well, here's the second last chapter. Don't worry, the last chapter will deal with the whole Kevin/Macy thing and how Joe/Stella tell Nick, Kevin and Macy about their new relationship. I hope you enjoyed this. It was gonna be longer, but I think that it's good enough, right?_**


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